Eye Within Fire
by themoonprincesswhowasarabbit
Summary: Usagi's a girl running from her past.Darien Shields sees a mystery in Serena Yin and tries to unravel it, accidently discovering her past. Diamond is her past running towar her. It;s only a matter of time before the circle connects and somebody realizes
1. Prologue:Carmine

Sometimes phoenixes forget to return. Sometimes trees just can't sprout new leaves again. The strength to get up again once one has fallen is one of the greatest gifts ever given to mankind. But after falling so many times, doesn't it make you wonder why you're getting up again?


	2. DARIEN

Darien opened his laptop, frowning slightly as he did so. His conscious, the little fuckhead, was warning him against it. But he wouldn't be ruled by it. Not this time. Clicking the mouse on the internet explorer button, his fingers twitched as they always did when he was doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing. And satisfying his curiosity about that girl by committing a little Internet crime was definitely something he shouldn't be doing. The devil on his shoulder may have been a computer nerd, but it was also a closet salesman.

_Come on, it's just one time. You'll look at it, laugh a little, find out what the fuck sparked your interest, log off and forget about it. What's the harm in it?_

_It's worse than criminal, it's invasive. You're reading someone's secrets._ The angel on his shoulder protested.

_So be it on her._ _If she really wanted to keep something secret, she wouldn't have left the page open._

_You were looking over her shoulder!_

The screen loaded, and he scrolled down, ignoring his superego's objections. His interest was sparked and when it sparked, it created a fire too big to put out unless he fed it. Would he feel guilt? Yes. Was it worth it? He fervently hoped so as he began to read.


	3. JOURNAL

Dear Diary,

My name is Serena Yin. At least, that's the name I've been given. I haven't dared to write in a real journal in so long, partly out of fear that I'll miss something and he'll find it. But when I figured out a way to make a journal on my notebook, I thought that maybe I could feel safe knowing its password protected and that my hard drive's security's been replaced and updated, thanks to Alice and the IT guys from her work. I know it's their job to keep him from tracking me down but the tears in my eyes kept coming anyway. I'm grateful to them and to you, Diary. You know, better than anyone, why I'm so grateful to Alice and everyone, but I've never said why I'm so thankful for you. You're like the one constant I rely on; you keep me sane even inside a circle of fire, like the eye of a storm. Having you with me feels like nothing ever happened, like it was just a bad dream and I'm never going to dream it again. I know it's not a dream, that it happened, but I keep hoping it'll never happen again. Somehow though, I think that kind of wishful thinking is the kind that's going to bite me in the ass one day.


	4. SERENA

Serena yawned as she logged and shut down the computer. Tomorrow was another day, hopefully one that drew close to the end.

It was late in the evening; a half-moon was already hanging in the midnight rafters. She had been on the phone, chatting gaily as she painted her fingernails. Candy apple red, just a few shades lighter than blood. She'd remembered, because she had never worn that shade again since that, shuddering every time she saw it on someone else's fingers and in the drugstore.

She had changed so much since that night.

Back then, her hair had been silver-blond and curly, to her mother's great delight. "My Pearl," she'd say. Her eyes had been different then too, an amber almost as warm as her smile. They were her father's eye, that's what everyone used to say.

Now that was all over, but the girl on the phone hadn't known it then.

The window opened and she'd started, turning around. Looming fearsomely over her, he'd knocked the phone out of her hand. "What are you doing here" She'd asked terrified.

Red. Candy apple Red. Just a few shades lighter than blood.

The man snarled. "The question is, what are you doing here, bitch?"


	5. DIAMOND

A man slammed his fist into the wall, cracking the drywall. Relieving the memory of the girl so often in his thoughts was nowhere near as satisfying as repeating it.

It was clear he wanted her.

Badly.

He wanted to fuck her, ignore her and then fuck her again later when he was bored. That's all she was good for, and her too-innocent looks seemed to confirm it. She wanted it, you could tell by the dark look in her eyes, the tight clothes on her body and those damn fingernails.

Red ones, goddamnit! Fucking Carmine talons that scratched him when he was giving her exactly what she was asking for. And she was asking for it, showing her breasts and legs in those shirts and miniskirts like some whore. He didn't mind taking what he knew she wanted to give him. She'd put up a fight, telling him not to but in saying that she'd forgotten one very important thing about Diamond Dagger.

With him, no always becomes yes.


	6. DARIEN2

On her first day at their school, Serena's secret hadn't been so pressing in the eyes of Darien Shields at first. No, what had caught his interest was her slim wrist, the right one. It had a tattoo gracefully etched like a delicate bracelet, the phases of the moon circling in a haphazard strand. He'd watch that wrist, wondering why or how it came to be. It was by no means ugly but it made him wonder, and once he began to wonder, there was little stopping him before he could be done with his quest entirely.

So whenever that puzzling limb was in his view, he looked at it. Should that wrist be supporting her small face, his gaze would linger there. Should it be nestled in her cleavage his attentions would be caught also, not when she was looking of course.

That particular day, the wrist in question happened to be out of view, presumably resting on the key pad of her laptop. It was a reading day in their English class but apparently she'd needed to look up some articles for an essay. He'd watched her type from behind, not at all upset to have that wrist hidden from view, especially not when her back view was so scenic. True, it was a pity he could not see all of her properly but what he could observe of those narrow shoulders and bare neck was pleasant enough. He'd never noticed them before. Perhaps he'd been too absorbed to take note of them but he would waste no time now. Thanking her mentally for putting her hair up, he'd caught sight of a curious phrase being typed.

No one knows

What was it no one knew about that girl? He certainly couldn't begin to list the possibilities. She could be a closet blonde. Or a lesbian. (it would be a shame in his opinion) She could be on the run for all he knew. He racked his brains trying to remember the few facts he knew. She was a junior and from a small town in Oregon, he remembered that but somehow nothing else came to mind. It was all lost on him. How did she fade into the background so easily when no one knew anything about her? His inquisitive mind was at the forefront and there was really only one thing to do about it.

He had to dissect Serena Yin.


	7. DIAMOND2

Diamond Dagger got up from his bed, pushing away the woman in it. Now that he'd fucked her, he wasn't interested. And now that he realized it, fucking her hadn't been so great either. He'd paid her to do it and she did, massaging and touching him all the while demanding that he put a condom on. She'd even gone so far as threatening to leave but one temper tantrum and a broken lamp on the floor later she'd given in, reluctantly. It would serve that whore right if she'd gotten pregnant or an STD. He didn't care either way.

Moaning a little brokenly the concubine shifted slightly and tried to get out of the bed. She struggled for a few minutes before giving up.

"Help me up, please."

Diamond made no sign of acknowledgement.

She tried again.

"Mr. Dagger, help me up."

"Get up yourself." He said coldly, putting on his clothes.

She sighed and willed herself once more to get up but the pain between her legs was too much to bear. "Look," She said, gritting her teeth." I seriously need help. Just let me grab onto you, I can't stay in this bed all day."

"Well it looks like you will." He said shortly, grabbing his already packed sports bag. The prositute's cursing followed him out of the room and into the hallway, waking several members of the city's scum. Diamond smiled and pointed at the room he'd just vacated. "She's free, you know." He continued on as the sex-eager men rushed past him. It was not long before the hooker's screams renewed, this time mingled with horror and helplessness. He closed his eyes and inhaled, taking in the sound. It was like the sweetest melody he'd ever heard. It brought back memories of Pearl and what he vowed to do when he found her again.


	8. SERENA2

She couldn't remember when it was she'd first found Diamond Dagger appealing, but she did remember why. Just as Claudel had drawn Rodin to her she'd resisted him as much as a fly does a flame. He oozed sexuality and danger with ease, seeming to take it in like air. She'd wanted to draw every muscle, every line of him over and over again until she could capture his very essence. At the time she'd just been another art geek with an ever-present sketchpad in hand who preferred the school's studio to the cafeteria. She wasn't supposed to catch his eye.

But somehow, she had and oh how she regretted it.


	9. JOURNAL2

Dear Diary,

Horrible nightmare last night. I dreamed about Dagger. In the dream we were in a huge room crowded with people. I was completely tense and then all of a sudden he appears and bends down to whisper death threats in my ear. The air turns red around me, the same shade of that damn nail polish I used to wear, that he bought for me to wear. I threw it out the day after I left, along with everything else that reminds me of him. Diary, I thought I threw him out with the rest of the trash so why is he still there? I don't know why but I still can't breathe easy even hundreds of miles away from him and completely hidden. I have a feeling he's coming back. I know Dagger. He was ruthless when he played sports and he was no different when he was around other people and me. If he could find a way, any way to punish me, he would. All it would take is for my cover to be blown and he'd…

I can't say it, oh I can't say it, never here!

I have to stay positive. He doesn't know I'm here. My family doesn't know I'm here. No one knows except for Amara and everyone else whose helping me hide. I'm safe.

I hope. Oh god, how I hope.


	10. AMARA'S FILE

File no. 12671112

Request Form

Name: Serena Yin

DOB: 4/29/1989

Place of Birth: Sidney, Montana

Social Security: (attached)

Employment: High School Student

Other Information: victim of abuse and rape by Diamond Dagger (see file)

Action(s) Requested: restraining order of at least 300 yards over Diamond Dagger, relocation and new identity given by witness protection, standing agent nearby


	11. Authors Note

I was about to launch myself into a depression over the lack of reviews when I realized something.

There's an awful lot of invisible readers here.

Stop. I'm not blaming you. I realize that I'm guilty of it too.

So tell you what. For every story, every chapter I read, I promise to review because I know others like me ask for reviews too and don't get them. It's really sad and I want to avoid giving them as much of a headache as I've got. So heads up for a lotta reviews because I'm not kidding, I'm reviewing EVERYTHING.

Don't let that guilt you into reviewing though. Just remember that I'm just like you, hoping that my stories really don't suck as much as I worry they do.

Okay?


End file.
